Methods for Organizing the Disinfection of one or More Items Contaminated with Biological Agents

ABSTRACT

The invention provides method for organizing the disinfection of one or more items contaminated with biological agent(s) comprising (a) attaching a radio-frequency ID (RFID) tag to an item(s) to be disinfected; exposing the item(s) of (a) to a disinfecting means for a period sufficient to disinfect the item; and (c) obtaining a signal from the tagged item when disinfection is complete thereby organizing the disinfection of one or more items.

This patent application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S.Ser. No. 61/678,558, filed Aug. 1, 2012, the contents, of all of whichare herein incorporated by reference in their entireties into thepresent patent application.

Throughout this application various publications are referenced. Thedisclosures of these publications in their entireties are herebyincorporated by reference into this application in order to more fullydescribe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Overview of Hospital Associated Infections

Hospital acquired or associated infections (HAI) are an important causeof mortality and morbidity affecting an estimated 1.7 million patientsand causing 100,000 deaths annually in the United States.¹ As multipledrug resistant organisms (MDROs) represent an increasing challenge tosuccessfully treat, they also significantly contribute to increasinghealth care costs,² not to mention unnecessary patient burden. Evidencesuggests a 28-58% higher risk of infection is attributable to surfacecontamination and cross transmission, especially for Methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile(C.diff).³ Additionally, an estimated 20-40% of all HAI result fromcross contamination via health care personnel either by direct patientcontact or by touching contaminated environmental surfaces in the roomto include reusable medical equipment's like IV poles, blood pressurecuffs, and monitors.¹ In addition to MRSA infections and C.diff, therole of environmental contamination for transmission has been studied inseveral other important infectious microbes including vancomycinresistant enterococcus (VRE), and Acinetobacter baumanii.^(3,4)Contaminated surfaces contribute up to half of the risk for acquiringinfections, as these organisms persist on environmental surfaces formany days. In the intensive care unit (ICU) setting, even improvementsin cleaning visibly soiled surfaces can lead to reducing the rate ofMRSA and VRE by 30-50%.^(5,6) However, this requires an evaluation andfeedback system that is quite labor intensive, and the sustainability ofsuch costly efforts would undoubtedly be limited. In fact, severalstudies show that manual cleaning performed after patient rooms arevacated is unreliable, with residual contamination rates ranging up to50%.¹⁻³ This residual environmental contamination with potentiallyresistant organisms endangers the health of the next room occupant, notto mention staff, and risks cross transmission throughout the hospitalvia hand transmission from health care workers as well as with reusablemedical equipment. Even after appropriate room cleaning, patientssubsequently admitted to rooms where MRSA, C.diff or VRE patients werepreviously isolated remain at increased risk from acquisition, due toenvironmental contamination. This has been well demonstrated in manyprior studies where admission to a room previously occupied by anHAI-positive patient was associated with 28-58% increased risk ofacquisition of these pathogens.¹⁻³ There have been multiple studies invarious countries that have documented lack of compliance withestablished guidelines for disinfection leading to numerousoutbreaks.⁷⁻¹⁶

How Current Cleaning Practices are Inadequate

Many HAI reduction initiatives, such as raising compliance of handhygiene, antimicrobial stewardship programs and isolation/screeningpractices, have become standard practice. The environmental cleaning ofpatient rooms, however, has not evolved significantly in response toother HAI reduction efforts. Recent studies by Carling et al.,demonstrate conclusively that manual cleaning is inadequate foreffectively reducing the bio-burden in patient care areas because asmany as 70% of high-touch surfaces (e.g., bed rails, call buttons,television remote controls) are missed, during both standard dischargeand isolation cleanings.¹⁷ This could also be applied to other reusablemedical equipment that is present in the same patient room. Thisincomplete cleaning allows for organisms to remain on the room orequipment following patient discharge, placing the subsequent patient ata higher risk as organisms like MRSA, VRE and C.diff spores can survivein the environment from 3-12 months.¹

The novel methods of the invention were devised to alleviate theaforementioned problems and should radically and systematically reducethe contamination on equipment or supplies and in-patient rooms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various embodiments described herein are directed to methods fororganizing (manually or through automated means) the disinfection of oneor more items contaminated with biological agent(s) comprising attachinga radio-frequency ID (RFID) tag to an item(s) to be disinfected,exposing the item(s) to a disinfecting means for a period sufficient todisinfect the item; and obtaining a signal from the tagged item whendisinfection is complete thereby organizing the disinfection of one ormore items.

The invention also provides methods for disinfection (manually orthrough automated means) of one or more items contaminated withbiological agent(s) comprising exposing the item(s) having RFID tags toa disinfecting means for a period sufficient to disinfect the item andobtaining a signal from the tagged item(s) when disinfection is completethereby organizing the process of disinfection of one or more items.

The invention also provides methods for detecting (manually or throughautomated means) whether an item exiting or leaving a designated spaceis contaminated comprising attaching a radio-frequency ID (RFID) tag tothe item(s) to be disinfected, attaching an RFID to a chokepoint, andobtaining a signal from the tagged item indicating when a contaminateditem crosses the chokepoint.

The invention further provides methods for detecting (manually orthrough automated means) whether an item exiting a designated space isclean or disinfected comprising attaching a radio-frequency ID (RFID)tag to the item(s) to be disinfected, attaching an RFID to a chokepoint,and obtaining a signal from the tagged item indicating when a clean ordisinfected item crosses the chokepoint.

The invention also provides methods for organizing (manually or throughautomated means) the disinfection of a designated space contaminatedwith biological agent(s) comprising attaching one or moreradio-frequency ID (RFID) tags to a designated area to be disinfected,exposing the designated area or portion thereof to a disinfecting meansfor a period sufficient to disinfect the designated area, and obtaininga signal from the tagged designated area when disinfection is completethereby organizing the disinfection of the designated space.

The invention further provides methods for disinfection (manually orthrough automated means) of a designated space contaminated withbiological agent(s) comprising exposing the designated space or portionthereof to a disinfecting means for a period sufficient to disinfect thedesignated space or portion thereof, said designated space or portionthereof having one or more radio-frequency ID (RFID) tags and obtaininga signal from the tagged designated space or portion thereof whendisinfection is complete thereby organizing the disinfection of thedesignated space or portion thereof.

Additionally provided are apparatus and systems for use in the methodsof this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the process for disinfection of reusablemedical equipment.

FIG. 2 is a photograph of a UV Aluminum reflector.

FIG. 3 shows photographs of the other Mercury-based UV disinfectionmachines.

FIG. 4 shows photographs of the different Hydrogen Peroxide Systems.

FIG. 5 shows drawings of different passive RFID tags.

FIG. 6 shows drawings of different RFID readers.

FIG. 7 shows graphs of threshold sensing values over time.

FIG. 8 shows drawing of a pulsed xenon UV device.

FIG. 9 shows an overall flow chart of the inner workings of the Jangamawith optional memory feature.

FIG. 10 shows a drawing of an IV pole tagged with active RFID tags,which depict clean versus dirty equipment status. The drawing on theleft is an active RFID tag with e-ink technology; on the right, is anactive RFID tag with LED display technology.

FIG. 11 shows drawing of Tru-D, a mercury-based UV device.

FIG. 12 shows an overall flow chart demonstrating the workings of theJangama with an UV-based cleaning (also referred to herein asdisinfecting) system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Definitions

Healthcare associated/acquired infections (HAIs) or nosocomialinfections are infections that may be acquired by a patient during thecourse of his/her hospital admission.

In accord with the practice of the invention, the disinfecting means maykill or inhibit biological contaminants including, but not limited to,micro-organisms, viral particles, fungal particles, spores to includeClostridium difficile, tuberculous particles, other infectious agents,microbes in human secretion, human excretion, dust and fecal material.

Patient room refers to a room occupied by a patient during his/herhospital stay.

Clean/Dirty utility or equipment room refers to a room used to storere-usable medical equipment such as IV poles, tray tables, wheelchairs,thermometer, console, computer on wheels (COW), blood pressurecuff/device, bedside commode, intravenous/infusion pump and pole (IVpole), SCD devices, cooling blankets, warming blankets (bear huggers),portable x-ray machines, equipment carts, monitors, various high dollarmachines like Electroencephalograms (EEG), Electrocardiogram (EKG)machines, wheelchairs, walkers or crutches.

UV light refers to ultraviolet light delivered by, for example, thepulsed xenon lamp or mercury based technologies or equivalents at theappropriate frequency. The Mercury based technologies like Tru-D(Lumalier, TN) (FIG. 11) or V-360+ Room Sanitizer (UVDI, CA) uses amercury lamp to produce UV light in the 254 nm range which isbactericidal. Pulsed xenon-UV germicidal irradiation produces a morebroad-spectrum UV irradiation, but also produces large amounts of energyin the germicidal spectrum (200-320 nm) by using a xenon gas flash lamp(Xenex Healthcare Service, TX).

Hydrogen Peroxide refers to hydrogen peroxide dry mist, hydrogenperoxide vapor, vaporized Hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen peroxide fog orsteam or spray or equivalent.

RFID refers to Radio-frequency Identification which is a wireless use ofradio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data for the purposesof identifying and/or tracking objects. There is no physical contactbetween communicating objects.

RFID tag/s refers to an object that can be applied, imbedded orotherwise attached onto a product, e.g., re-usable medical equipment orroom entrance for the purposes of tracking the disinfection of equipmentor patient rooms or utility storage rooms. These tags can be eitheractive or passive or a hybrid thereof.

RFID reader/s also referred to as RFID interrogator refers to an objectthat contains a radio-frequency module, which transmits and/or receivesradio-frequency signals. The reader's function is to interact with RFIDtag(s). These readers can be either active or passive. They can also befixed or mobile. Signals from the reader are further transmitted toeither the mobile unit (also referred to here as Jangama) microprocessoror to the central data warehouse directly.

RFID system refers to the type of tag and reader used to track andinterrogate objects. A Passive Reader Active Tag (PRAT) system includesa passive reader and a battery operated active tag wherein the readeronly receives the signal from the active tags. An Active Reader PassiveTag (ARPT) system includes an active reader which transmits signals tothe passive tags and also, optionally, receives signals from the passivetags. An Active Reader Active Tag (ARAT) system includes active tagsthat can respond to the interrogation from an active reader.

Fixed RFID readers used in this invention will be used near the entranceof re-usable medical equipment storage rooms or actual patient roomswhich will allow for a highly defined reading area for when the taggedre-usable medical equipment go in and out of the storage area or patientroom. Such readers could also function as choke point readers.

Mobile readers (which may be housed in a mobile unit, e.g., Jangama) inthis invention may be used with the no-touch disinfection devices toalert environmental services staff of patient rooms or equipment in needof cleaning (also referred to herein as disinfecting) within aninterrogation zone.

Cleaning includes terminally disinfecting a patient room after a patienthas been discharged to keep it ready for the next patient. This refersto thoroughly disinfecting the patient bed; including the top, front,sides, headboard, side rails, mattress, between side rails; the nursecall light; the TV remote; all high touch surfaces such as tray tables,bedside tables and drawers, phone, armchairs, door handles, lightswitches, closet handles, etc.; disinfecting the bathroom to include thefixtures, support bars and other surfaces. Privacy curtains may beremoved and bagged for laundry. Window curtains, ceilings and walls alsomay need to be disinfected. In cases where the occupant had, e.g., MRSA,C-Diff or VRE, the room may be terminally disinfected from floor toceiling with agents such as diluted bleach. Additionally, all re-usablemedical equipment in the room may be thoroughly cleaned or disinfectedand returned to special processing department or the utility storagearea. Cleaning may be generally done by the environmental servicespersonnel in most hospitals and there is always a potential for missedopportunities, where a high touch area was not thoroughly cleaned perprotocol. Such missed opportunities could result in HAI in patients orvisitors. This is a tedious and time consuming process, thereby reducingthe turnaround time for a patient room. The invention focuses ondecreasing the room turnaround time by decreasing the time needed toterminally clean or disinfect the room and also electronically updatingthe availability of a room throughout the hospital system withoutrelying on manual entry.

Re-usable medical equipment such as IV poles, wheelchairs, walkers,bedside commodes, etc. are used as needed. Between each patient use,this equipment may be stored in dirty equipment rooms andwheeled/transported to the special processing department where terminalcleaning of the equipment occurs per protocol. This also leads to amissed opportunity for cleaning, resulting in potential HAIs. Thisprocess also decreases the availability of re-usable medical devicesduring high patient census weeks and in ERs where efficiency is the keyto delivering patient care. To address the issues, the invention in oneembodiment, focuses on RFID tagged equipment which are held in storagerooms and disinfected with UV rays. The equipment will feature activeRFID tags which can communicate with respective readers about itslocation, clean/unclean status, etc. The active tags would also enablethe equipment to be tracked by a software/application on the hospitalnetwork making it easy for a nurse in emergency room trying to locate aclean/unused IV pole which could be on the med-surgical unit.

No touch disinfection systems are means of cleaning enclosed areas. Thedisinfection can be achieved either by using UV disinfection systems(either mercury-based as in FIG. 3 or 11 or pulsed-xenon-based as inFIG. 8) or hydrogen peroxide systems (vapor, mist or aerosolized as onFIG. 4). In either scenario, after manual cleaning, the device is placedin a room (typically discharged empty patient room) and run for aspecified amount of time (disinfection cycle). For some devices, like apulsed-xenon-based device, the device may have 2-4 positions ofdisinfection.

A chokepoint refers to a point of entry or escape, where a reader may beinstalled in order to track objects or to warn of the exit or entry ofunclean equipment.

A Jangama is a mobile or integrated unit to be used for organizingdisinfection of rooms and equipment (FIG. 9).

As used herein, the term “comprising” when placed before the recitationof steps in a method means that the method encompasses one or more stepsthat are additional to those expressly recited, and that the additionalone or more steps may be performed before, between, and/or after therecited steps. For example, a method comprising steps a, b, and cencompasses a method of steps a, b, x, and c, a method of steps a, b, c,and x, as well as a method of steps x, a, b, and c. Furthermore, theterm “comprising” when placed before the recitation of steps in a methoddoes not (although it may) require sequential performance of the listedsteps, unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. For example, amethod comprising steps a, b, and c encompasses, for example, a methodof performing steps in the order of steps a, c, and b, the order ofsteps c, b, and a, and the order of steps c, a, and b. Unless otherwiseindicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, propertiessuch as molecular weight, reaction conditions, and so forth as usedherein, arc to be understood as being modified in all instances by theterm “about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, thenumerical parameters herein are approximations that may vary dependingupon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the presentinvention. At the very least, and without limiting the application ofthe doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numericalparameter should at least be construed in light of the number ofreported significant digits and by applying ordinary roundingtechniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parametersdescribing the broad scope of the invention are approximations, thenumerical values in the specific examples are reported as precisely aspossible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains standarddeviations that necessarily result from the errors found in thenumerical value's testing measurements.

In order that the invention herein described may be more fullyunderstood, the following description is set forth:

The invention provides methods for organizing the process ofdisinfection of one or more items contaminated with biological agent(s).The method comprises attaching a radio-frequency ID (RFID) tag to anitem(s) to be disinfected. The method further comprises exposing theitem(s) of (a) to a disinfecting means for a period sufficient todisinfect the item. Further, the method comprises obtaining a signalfrom the tagged item when disinfection is complete thereby organizingthe disinfection of one or more items.

In one embodiment, the contaminated with biological agent(s) may bedisinfected by the method of the invention.

The invention also provides methods for disinfection of one or moreitems contaminated with biological agent(s). The method comprisesexposing the item(s) having RFID tags attached thereto or containedtherein to a disinfecting means for a period sufficient to disinfect theitem. The method further comprises obtaining a signal from the taggeditem (e.g., via the RFID tag) when disinfection is complete.

In one embodiment, the method for organizing the disinfection of one ormore items contaminated with biological agent(s) may be manual or anautomated method. In another embodiment, the method for disinfection ofone or more items contaminated with biological agent(s) may be manual oran automated method.

In one embodiment, the item to be disinfected is a device, machine ortool. The machine may be medical equipment, e.g., durable medicalequipment or reusable medical equipment.

In an embodiment of the invention, the disinfecting means is aultra-violet (UV) light system. In a further embodiment, theultra-violet light is from pulsed xenon light. For example, disinfectionsystems are available that provide such pulsed light (Xenex HealthcareServices LLC) as shown in e.g. FIG. 8. In another example, the UV lightmay be from a mercury vapor UV lamp. In another example, thedisinfection system may provide UV light such as Tru-D LLC's SmartUVCroom disinfection system as shown in e.g. FIG. 11. The Mercury basedtechnologies like Tru-D (Lumalier, TN) or V-360+ Room Sanitizer (UVDI,CA) uses a mercury lamp to produce UV light in the 254 nm range which isbactericidal.¹⁸ Pulsed Xenon-UV germicidal irradiation produces a morebroad-spectrum UV irradiation, but also produces large amounts of energyin the germicidal spectrum (200-320 nm) by using a xenon gas flash lamp(Xenex Healthcare Service, TX).¹⁹

In accordance with the practice of the invention, the space or roomwhere the equipment will be cleaned may be coated with a reflectivecoating (paint)(UVC 360, Lumacept, TN). This coating enhancesreflectivity of the UVC, thus improving the overall disinfection andthoroughness of disinfection.²⁰ Additionally, the space or room to becleaned may be lined with reflective aluminum panels with archingoverheads as shown in e.g. FIG. 2. These panels enhance reflectivity ofthe UVC thus improving the overall disinfection and thoroughness ofdisinfection.

In a further embodiment, the disinfecting means may be a hydrogenperoxide system., Hydrogen peroxide systems may include hydrogenperoxide vapour (HPV), activated hydrogen peroxide, dry mist hydrogenperoxide or vaporized hydrogen peroxide.^(21,22) Examples of hydrogenperoxide systems include, but are not limited to, Bioquell AerationUnits (Bioquell, UK), VHP ARD Biodecontamination System (SterisCorporation, OH), and GLOSAIR™ Healthcare Environmental DecontaminationSystems (ASP Inc., CA) as shown in e.g. FIG. 4.

Examples of biological contaminants include, but are not limited to,micro-organisms, viral particles, fungal particles, spores to includeClostridium difficile, tuberculous particles, other infectious agents,microbes in human secretion, human excretion, dust and fecal material.

Further, the micro-organism may be a bacterium, fungus, protozoa, sporeor virus. In another embodiment, the bacterium may be Clostridiumdifficile, Clostridium botulinum, or Clostridium perfringens and itsspores. Additionally, the bacterium may be a drug resistant bacterium.The drug resistant bacterium may be a methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Also, in another example, the bacteriummay be Staphylococcus epidermidis or Staphylococcus saprophyticus. Afurther example of the drug resistant bacterium may be aCarbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacterium, or the gram negativebacteria Hemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, or Legionellapneumophila. Additional examples of microorganisms include viruses suchas human rhinovirus, poliovirus, norovirus, coxsackievirus or echovirus.

In one embodiment of the invention, the RFID tag may communicate withthe disinfection means. In another embodiment, the RFID tag maycommunicate the initiation or completion of the cleaning or disinfectioncycle to a computer. In a further embodiment, the method comprisesprocessing the signal from the tagged item to create a log of thecleaning or disinfecting history of each RFID tagged item through acomputer. In yet another embodiment, comprising processing the signalfrom the item(s) having an RFID tag to create a log of the cleaning ordisinfecting history of each RFID tagged item through a computer.

The invention also provides methods for detecting whether an itemexiting a designated space is contaminated. The method comprisesattaching a radio-frequency ID (RFID) tag to the item(s) to bedisinfected. The method further comprises attaching an RFID detector orreader to a chokepoint or transit point. Further, the method comprisesobtaining a signal from the tagged item indicating when a contaminateditem crosses the chokepoint or transit point.

In one embodiment, the method for detecting whether an item exiting adesignated space is contaminated may be an automated method.

The invention further provides methods for detecting whether an itemexiting a designated space is clean or disinfected. The method comprisesattaching a radio-frequency ID (RFID) tag to the item(s) to bedisinfected. The method further comprises attaching an RFID detector orreader to a chokepoint or transit point. Further, the method comprisesobtaining a signal from the tagged item indicating when a clean ordisinfected item crosses the chokepoint or transit point.

In one embodiment, the method for detecting whether an item exiting adesignated space is clean or disinfected may be an automated method.

In accord with the practices of the invention, the method furthercomprises processing the signal from the tagged item to create a log ofthe RFID tagged item through a computer.

In a further embodiment, the RFID tag permits the creation of a log ofthe cleaning or disinfecting history of each RFID tagged item through acomputer. In another embodiment, the RFID tag is connected to achokepoint, and may provide notification when a piece of dirty equipmentcrosses the chokepoint. In another embodiment, the alert andnotification system may be computer based, wherein a signal is sent tothe data warehouse and appropriate personnel may be notified viacellphone, pager, or other means of communication, include any vibratingor flashing wireless device. In another embodiment, the notificationdevice may be located on the door or other chokepoint itself and may beaudible or visual.

In one embodiment of the invention, suitable RFID tags may includepassive RFIDs as shown in FIG. 5. In a further embodiment, active RFIDtags, for example, as shown in FIG. 11 may be used (Supply Insight Co.,Intermec Co., AeroScout or AiRISTA). The RFID with display could be ofmany varieties. In one embodiment, the active RFID tag may include oneLED light or 2 LED lights or 2 LED lights of different colors (USPublication No. US 2010/0171586). In another embodiment, the active RFIDwith display may be active RFID combined with E-ink technology (U.S.Pat. No. 7,791,489). In yet another embodiment, the active RFID tag mayuse a technology to conserve battery of the RFID tag (U.S. Pat. No.8,416,072). In yet another embodiment, the active RFID with display mayalso have a beeping device similar to the 433 MHz RFID Domino Tag Active124010 by GAO RFID Inc.

The invention also provides methods for organizing (manually or throughautomated means) the disinfection of a designated area(s) contaminatedwith biological agent(s) comprising attaching one or moreradio-frequency ID (RFID) tags to a designated area to be disinfected.The method further comprises exposing the designated area or portionthereof to a disinfecting means for a period sufficient to disinfect thedesignated area. Further, the method comprises obtaining a signal fromthe tagged designated area when disinfection is complete therebyorganizing the disinfection of the designated space.

In one embodiment, the designated area(s) contaminated with biologicalagent(s) may be disinfected by the method of the invention.

The invention also provides methods for organizing (manually or throughautomated means) the process of disinfection of a designated area(s)contaminated with biological agent(s) comprising exposing the designatedarea or portion thereof having one or more RFID tags to a disinfectingmeans for a period sufficient to disinfect the designated area. Themethod further comprises obtaining a signal from the tagged designatedarea or portion thereof when disinfection is complete.

In one embodiment, the method for organizing the disinfection of adesignated space contaminated with biological agent(s) may be anautomated method.

In accordance with the practice of the invention, the space or room tobe cleaned may be coated with a reflective coating of paint (UVC 360,Lumacept, TN). This coating enhances reflectivity of the UVC thusimproving the overall disinfection and thoroughness of disinfection.

Additionally, the designated space to be disinfected may be a room orportion thereof. The room may be enclosed or open. For example, the roommay be a hospital room (for humans and veterinary animals). In yetanother example, the room may be in a day care center or nursery orschool.

In one embodiment, the disinfecting means may be an ultra-violet lightor hydrogen peroxide system as mentioned previously.

In various embodiments, the micro-organism or biological contaminant maybe as mentioned previously.

In various embodiments, the RFID tag may communicate with thedisinfection means. In another embodiment, the RFID tag may communicatethe initiation or completion of the cleaning or disinfection cycle to acomputer or data warehouse. In a further embodiment, the methodcomprises processing the signal from the tagged designated area tocreate a log of the cleaning or disinfecting history of each RFID taggeditem through a computer. In yet another embodiment, comprisingprocessing the signal from the tagged designated space or portionthereof to create a log of the cleaning or disinfecting history of eachRFID tagged item through a computer. In yet another embodiment, the RFIDtag permits the creation of a log of the cleaning or disinfectinghistory of each RFID tagged space or patient room or reusable medicalequipment through a computer or data warehouse.

In another embodiment, the RFID tag may be attached to a patient orlocated in a patient room or unclean piece of equipment and resets thestatus of the designated space for future disinfection. In anotherembodiment, the disinfection means may communicate with multiple RFIDtags and automatically cleans the entire room.

In an embodiment of the invention, the RFID tag(s) in the designatedarea may be passive. In another embodiment, the RFID tag(s) in thedesignated area are active.

The advantage of the invention includes the

-   -   ability to keep track of clean and dirty equipment log;    -   ability to distinguish clean and dirty equipment at the end user        level with or without having to manually scan equipment;    -   ability to prevent errors by introducing various safety        mechanisms like alarms if equipment that is not clean is going        to be used;    -   ability to communicate with the environmental services personnel        on a real time basis;    -   ability for the hospital management and infection prevention and        control teams to keep track of cleaning processes on a real time        basis, for both equipment and patient rooms; and/or    -   provides complete automation of the process thus preventing or        reducing medical errors that can be fatal.

The following examples are provided to further illustrate aspects of theinvention. These examples are non-limiting and should not be construedas limiting any aspect of the invention.

EXAMPLES Example 1

For example, patient X is admitted to the hospital and is in Room A.Patient X has MRSA and has spent 5 days in Room A. During the course ofhis/her hospitalization, patient X touches several surfaces in Room Aand also requires IV antibiotics which arc delivered by an IV pumpattached to an IV pole. Patient X is ready for discharge on day 5. Thisinformation is electronically entered in the hospital medical records.This electronic entry updates the housekeeping database alerting theenvironmental services personnel that Room A will soon be ready forcleaning. Once patient X has left the hospital, the software on theJangama's display unit or Jangama integrated into a no-touch device suchas Xenex or Bioquell displays that Room A is now available for cleaning.The environmental services personnel are alerted, and one then takes theno-touch device with/without Jangama (depending whether Jangama isintegrated or standalone) to Room A for cleaning. Room A is tagged withan active RFID tag, which updates the time of entry of device forcleaning. Once cleaning of Room A is in progress, the hospital beddatabase indicates the same. Once room A is terminally cleaned perprotocol and the no-touch device is taken out of the room, the room RFIDtag updates the hospital bed database regarding the availability of thatroom. This interrogation upon entry and exit is provided by the RFIDreader in the Jangama or no-touch device with Jangama incorporatedwithin it. The bed management system may further have severaldisinfection positions that need to be completed before the room ismarked as completely disinfected for certain type of disinfectionsystems; e.g., the Xenex device has three to four positions and theTru-D has two positions. Merely by way of example, the disinfectingmeans may be arranged as follows: one for a bathroom, two in livingrooms (one on either side of the bed) and one in an anteroom, ifpresent. The bed management system shows the progress on the display aseach position is completed.

A protocol for disinfecting medical equipment and obtaining a signalthat disinfection is complete is as follows:

-   -   1. Medical equipment of interest may be tagged with a unique        identifier. Examples of suitable identifiers include: RFID tag        or tags (active, passive or combined), or RFID equivalents like:        RTLS tags, Bluetooth ID, Wi-Fi tags, near field communication        technologies or infrared tags. Active RFID tags may include LED        display technology or E-ink display technology.    -   2. The tagged equipment may be able to communicate with both a        mobile RFID reader(s) and/or fixed RFID reader(s) as shown in        FIGS. 5 and 6, each of which in turn may communicate with a        central data warehouse (management system). The mobile and the        fixed RFID reader(s) may also have the capacity to communicate        with each other. A facility's existing Wi-Fi technology may be        used to enable such communications.    -   3. Equipment holding rooms may have a fixed RFID reader.    -   4. Each UV device or equivalent device of interest may        incorporate a mobile RFID reader in the form of an incorporated        Jangama or standalone Jangama (FIG. 9).    -   5. This uniquely tagged RME may have a communication range of        20-30 feet with a mobile RFID reader and a range of e.g. 4-6        feet for the fixed reader.    -   6. The mobile reader may also have the capacity to transmit or        emit signals back to the RFID tagged RME. It also may have        storage and display capacity.    -   7. The fixed readers may also have the capacity to transmit or        emit signals back to the RFID tagged equipment.    -   8. The portable reader/transmitter/storage/display device        (Jangama) may have many functions:        -   a. Receive and recognize each of these uniquely tagged ID            equipment;        -   b. Ability to measure UV radiation around it or Hydrogen            peroxide levels around it;        -   c. Ability to send signals to the uniquely tagged equipment            while in the vicinity of e.g. 4-6 feet;        -   d. Ability to communicate with fixed reader/transmitter;        -   e. Ability to communicate with management systems (data            warehouse);        -   f. Ability to store information in its hardware to later            transmit to the management system in case there are Wi-Fi            issues; and/or        -   g. Ability to display live information about bed management            as well as the ability to identify unclean equipment in the            vicinity (e.g., about 20-30 feet).    -   9. The fixed sensor/emitter may have these functions:    -   a. Receive and recognize each uniquely tagged RME within the        room, at entry and exit (choke holder);    -   b. Communicate with the RME being removed from/brought in the        holding area, and changing the signal on the RME appropriately;    -   c. Communicate with the mobile reader; and/or    -   d. Communicate with management to provide a real time feed about        equipment cleaning necessity.    -   10. The tagged equipment may have a receiver for a unique        signal. Once the unique signal is received it may display e.g. a        green light and or display the word “CLEAN”. The signal may be        valid for 24 hours but may be customizable, for example, up to        72 hrs.    -   11. The tagged RME may return to unclean or red display        representing unclean in the following exemplary scenarios:        -   a. No unique signal from mobile reader/transmitter or fixed            reader/transmitter;        -   b. 24 hours have elapsed since the last signal            (automatically change status to either red light or display            “Unclean” at the end of 24 hours or the customized time);        -   c. The equipment leaves a designated area (i.e., holding            area); and/or        -   d. The equipment was not within 4-6 feet of the UV unit or            in the case of Hydrogen peroxide within the contained room.    -   12. The room itself may be lined with unique aluminum screen        with panels at 45 degrees (FIG. 2) or coated with UV reflective        paint. The aluminum and paint are great reflectors of UV light        and may make the process of disinfection more effective as the        equipment may be cleaned through the reflectivity of the panels        or paint.    -   13. The mobile reader/transmitter/recorder (Jangama) may log        each activity. For example, equipment # 1 was in the vicinity        (e.g. 4 feet) of the sensor at this time date, receives a total        radiation of x units (0-5000 millijoules/cm² or other comparable        units) for y time (0-300 minutes) and receives the clean signal        at z time. If taken out of the area, the central database may        record the last time taken out of clean area and record it and        merge the data with the mobile unit. A data log may be        maintained in MS Excel format or equivalent tabular format in        the central data warehouse and may be printable for regulatory        (Joint Commission/Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services)        compliance and available on request during an inspection.    -   14. The central data warehouse may be equipped with appropriate        software to recognize all tagged equipment, their location and        searchable properties like some of the current RFID vendors. The        database may also be able to locate each UV or equivalent device        and be able to update device maintenance logs.    -   15. If unclean equipment is accidentally wheeled out of the        designated home area then it may produce an auditory signal        (e.g., beeping noise) for designated period of time and a visual        signal (e.g., a light signal such as a red light signal) may        blink for a designated time period to alert the handler that the        equipment is not clean.

Active Management of Clean and Unclean Inventory Using Pulsed Xenon UVDevice: (FIGS. 1 and 12)

Each RFID tagged equipment is managed by a Wi-Fi or similar technologyenabled central data warehouse through a fixed reader in each of theequipment holding rooms. Once the UV device equipped with the Jangama isused to clean the RME it records each uniquely tagged RME and transmitsthat information to the central database/Management system. Thisdatabase may be updated on a real time basis, meaning, e.g., that itupdates with each cleaning and each movement of the RFID tagged RME. AnUV operator may be able to access this information on the UV deviceusing the mobile reader/transmitter/storage/display unit (Jangama) on areal time basis as well, thereby alerting the operator to the holdingareas in need of clean equipment. Also, if the UV device is in thevicinity of a holding area with a high volume of unclean equipment, aninstant beep/message (like a text message) may alert the operatorhandling the device. This may help with active management ofclean/unclean equipment especially near high turnover areas such asOperating Rooms. The same device may also display a feed as to where thenext room needs to be. cleaned. This feed may be fed to the displayscreen on Jangama from bed control or bed management as well as centraldata warehouse servers.

The mobile sensor/emitter/storage device (Jangama) may also communicatewith the fixed readers and all the RMEs in disinfection range (e.g., 4-6feet) which may be targeted for cleaning. The fixed readers as shown inFIG. 6 may change the status of these visible RME in the centraldatabase to “BEING DISINFECTED”. Once the disinfection process iscompleted, the portable sensor of Jangama may communicate the completedcycle to the fixed readers and the database may be updated to “CLEAN”for these visible equipment and the resets the timer on the database andthe tagged RME. It may be necessary to relocate the UV device todifferent sections of the holding room to effectively clean all theequipment (as the room may be bigger than e.g. 6×6 feet), as allequipment in need of cleaning may not be within UV range. At thepre-determined time, the fixed sensor may be able to turn off the “greensignal” on all equipment that would no longer be considered clean.Alternatively, the equipment may be manually reset for cleaning. Allthis communication may occur over the pre-existing Wi-Fi communicationsavailable at the facility.

For example, if patient Y in room B needs IV fluids, the nurse may go tothe utility/equipment storage room to get an IV pole that can be usedfor patient Y. All IV poles stored in the storage room have active RFIDtags which illuminate “GREEN” for clean and “RED” for unclean as shownin FIG. 10. The storage room entrance/exit area has an active RFIDreader. The nurse takes an IV pole which has the “RED” illuminated onit, but fails to notice it. As this IV pole is taken out of the utilityroom, the RFID reader interrogates the RFID tag on the IV pole andsounds out an alarm that an unclean pole is being taken out of the room.Should the “GREEN” illuminated pole be taken, no alarm will sound. Theactive tag on the IV pole now is in use in room B, which will result insoftware update of its exact location.

In another example, patient Y in room B needs IV fluids. The nurse goesto the utility/equipment storage room to get an IV pole that can be usedfor patient Y. All IV poles stored in the storage room have active RFIDtags which display “Clean” and “Dirty” on an E-ink-based RFID tag asshown in FIG. 10. The storage room entrance/exit area has an active RFIDreader. The nurse takes an IV pole which has the word “DIRTY” displayedon it, but fails to notice it. As this IV pole is taken out of theutility room, the RFID reader interrogates the RFID tag on the IV poleand sounds out an alarm indicating that an unclean pole is being takenout of the room. Should a “Clean” displayed pole be taken, no alarm willsound. The active tag on the IV pole now is in use in room B, which willresult in a software update of its exact location.

The fixed readers have ability to receive signals from 2 sources. Onefrom fixed RFID reader or Blue tooth device and the other from themobile reader/transmitter (Jangama).

The fixed reader may communicate all the information with a centralserver/management system through the facility's Wi-Fi.

The mobile reader/transmitter (Jangama) may have the ability tocommunicate with RFID/Blue tooth equipment, fixed sensors, centralserver or management system through Wi-Fi. The received signal strengthindication (RSSI) may be used to determine which room the equipment isin.

Real Time Location Systems (RTLS)

Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) are used to determine the physicalproximity of active RFID tags and can be used in conjunction with thisinvention. This can be accomplished by installing fixed RFID readers atstrategic locations where the active tag can be read simultaneously bytwo or more readers. Pre-determined algorithms can then determine theexact location of the active RFID tags by the RSSI level andtriangulation. This would determine an approximate location within e.g.about 10 feet depending on the number of reader access points are used.For further accuracy, additional sensor technologies may be incorporatedinto the tag such as ultra-sound or infra-red.

Components:

-   -   1. RFID tag or equivalent for each equipment that needs to be        tracked and disinfected;    -   2. Mobile sensor/reader/signal emitter/storage device/display        device (Jangama);    -   3. Clean/Unclean displayer;    -   4. Green/Red light displayer;    -   5. Beeper/this device is “unclean” announcer;    -   6. UV Reflectors/paint in the room;    -   7. Room readers;    -   8. Data warehouse master database/Management system.

Example 2

Another way to communicate with the RFID tagged RME may be through ano-touch disinfection (NTD) remote control mechanism where after the NTDdevice is done disinfecting, the tag sends a signal to the RFID tag andturns on a visual display (e.g., a LED light (green color)). Incontrast, the default light signal may be a different color, such asred. The green and red light illuminates Clean and Unclean respectivelyas displayed below. The lights may be enclosed behind these wordings ina square box with these wording on the front and LED lights behind them.

It may also display the words clean or dirty using the E-ink technology.

The mobile continuous RFID reader, mobile display (Jangama) and thetagged equipment may communicate with each other within e.g. 20-30 feetvicinity on a real time basis. Another mobile reader may be activatedjust like the light after UV radiation for 2 seconds. It may identifyand transmit all the equipment ID for e.g. about less than 4 feet rangeand communicate that information to the management system to verify theequipment status as clean or dirty.

At chokepoints, a reader may be connected to the same mechanism thatturns the light off or turns it red if it moves outside of thechokepoint area. The off mechanism (or turning it red/unclean) istriggered by the reader and the reader sends a message to the managementsystem to change the log status as moved and now unclean. The samereader may have a voice alert/beep when unclean equipment is moved fromthe holding area away from chokepoint. Similarly, all the aboveinformation may display on E-ink based RFID tags.

Example 3

The following is a description of a process for creating status updatesusing the RFID tagged system of the invention.

Process:

-   -   1. The designated rooms will have unique identifiers: RFID tags        (active, passive or combined), or RFID equivalents like: RTLS        tags, Bluetooth ID, Wi-Fi tags, near field communication        technologies or infrared tags. The number of tags may range from        2-3 (with at least one in the main room and 1 in the bathroom).        The exact number of tags in each room will vary depending on the        size of the room. For example, a room that is bigger than 6×6        feet may have at least 2 tags. Also, the central database        management or bed management may have the information of number        of tags and their locations (positions) in each room.    -   2. The portable sensor/emitter/storage (Jangama) may have 3        functions:        -   a. Receive and recognize each of these unique tagged ID            rooms.        -   b. Ability to measure UV light amount/exposure around it or            Hydrogen peroxide levels around it.        -   c. A RFID reader may send a signal back to bed management            system; via the existing facility's Wi-Fi; once the            disinfection cycle is completed, thereby indicating the area            that has been recently disinfected; on a real time basis.    -   3. The mobile sensor (Jangama) may not recognize the RFID tags,        which are not within e.g., 4-6 feet of the UV unit or in the        case of Hydrogen peroxide within the contained room.    -   4. The portable sensor/emitter/recorder (Jangama) may log each        of the activity. For example, that room # 1 east wall was in the        vicinity (about 4 feet) of the sensor at A time/date, may have        received a total radiation of X many units for Y length of time,        may have received the clean signal at Z time; room #1 west wall        was in vicinity (about 4 feet) of the sensor at B time/date, may        have received a total radiation of X many units for Y length of        time, may have received the clean signal at Z time; room #1        bathroom was in vicinity (about 4 feet) of the sensor at C        time/date, may have received a total radiation of X many units        for Y length of time, may have received the clean signal at Z        time. Combined data log may be maintained in Excel format or        tabular format so it is printable and can be showed to        regulatory authorities (JC/CMS) on request or during inspection.    -   5. Once room #1 is thoroughly disinfected, the mobile sensor        (e.g., including a Jangama) may update the central database/bed        management system and display that particular room as “clean”        for bed management and log when all the areas of the room are        cleaned (it may remain in “Unclean” status if the EMS person        missed a position for UV disinfection devices like Xenex).    -   6. Once that particular room is assigned to a patient through        bed management, the room may be displayed as “Occupied”.    -   7. Once the status of an Occupied room in changed to        Unoccupied/discharged in bed management, the mobile sensor        (Jangama) log may add the particular room to its “To be Cleaned”        database, alerting the operator to rooms in need of cleaning.        Alternatively, the status of a patient room may be reset to “To        be Cleaned” manually or after a predetermined time.

Example 4

The “Jangama” may have the following components (FIG. 9):

-   -   1. RFID reader    -   2. RFID Controller    -   3. Display panel/unit    -   4. Wi-Fi network integrator (transmitter/receiver)    -   5. Microprocessor    -   6. Sensor signal processor    -   7. Sensors    -   8. Antennas    -   9. Memory

The Jangama can be integrated into an existing no-touch disinfectiondevice circuit board instead of a stand-alone device.

Break down of the communication that occurs between different componentsof the system: The RFID reader or interrogator or controller could bethe same unit. The reader/interrogator reads and retrieves information,whereas the controller can send a signal back to RFID tag to rewritememory or change display settings.

1. Communication Between the RFID Reader & Active Tag:

The RFID Reader sends an enquiry which is received by a RFID tag. ActiveRFID tags store memory values corresponding to clean or dirty that areaccessed by the reader. At the same time, each RFID tags unique ID isalso accessed. This information is transmitted from the RFID reader tothe mobile unit as well as the data warehouse through a Wi-Fi or wirednetwork.

2. Communication Between the RFID Controller and Active Tag:

The controller sends an enquiry to a RFID tag, which replies to thecontroller the currently stored memory value (corresponding to clean ordirty) along with the unique ID for the tag. This information is alsorelayed to the microprocessor which in turn communicates with the storedinformation in the data warehouse through the existing Wi-Fi system.

Once the condition for disinfection is satisfied, the microprocessorasks the controller to issue a clean signal back to the active RFID tagand change the memory value to clean. The signal will only be used toactive RFID tags within a set distance parameter of 4 feet, but thiscould also be anywhere from 0-8 feet. The controller confirms the RFIDtags unique ID/new memory value and sends it back to the processor. Themicroprocessor then relays the new values to the data warehouse to cleanstatus for those RFID tags which were in the set distance parameter witha time and date stamp.

3. Communication Between Sensor Signal Processor and Sensors:

Sensors can sense various external parameters like UV, Hydrogenperoxide. Once a certain upper limit threshold is reached in the sensor(10-500 millijoules/cm² for UV or 10-20000 ppm for hydrogen peroxide),it sends a signal to the sensor signal processor, which changes theysignal to a digital numerical signal for the microprocessor to know thatcertain values have been met (FIG. 7). This is referenced to the storedupper threshold limit for that sensor. If above the threshold, themicroprocessor asks the RFID controller to issue a clean signal to theactive RFID tags in a certain distance parameter as described above.

4. Sensors:

The sensors can sense various parameters like temperature, pressure,mercury based UV dose (continuous), pulsed xenon UV dose (cumulativedose of all pulses in a set time), or hydrogen peroxide concentration.The sensors transmit the sensed dose to the sensor signal processor.

5. Sensor Signal Processor:

The function of the sensor signal processor is to take the sensor input,convert it to a digital signal and reference it to the stored referenceparameters for various external effects like UV or Hydrogen peroxide.Once the threshold is reached, the sensor signal processor will continueto send a signal of condition being met to the microprocessor for next60 seconds or until the sensor keeps sending the signals whichever islater. For those 60 seconds, the sensor value will be set as met, evenif the sensors sense no additional UV or H2O2. After 60 seconds, theparameters will be set to below threshold until another sensing eventhappens (FIG. 7). The sensor value could be set as met, for example,anywhere from 30 seconds to 300 seconds.

In yet another example, the sensors and sensor signal processors may beoptional, when time is used as a parameter to fulfill condition beingmet algorithm for the RFID controller to transmit a signal to nearbyRFID tags. This is usually possible if the circuit board is integratedinto a no-touch disinfection system such as Pulsed UV or Mercury basedUV or Hydrogen peroxide systems thus eliminating the need to sense anexternal signal.

6. Display Unit:

The display unit will have the capacity to display various thingssimilar to a notebook or tablet. It can display information newlycreated in the microprocessor or the live information it receives fromthe data warehouse servers through Wi-Fi or live bed management feedthrough the bed management servers. It can also display informationabout any dirty RME in the near vicinity of the mobile unit. It can alsoperform other functions of a display unit like other tablets or phonesreceiving text or video chat again through a Wi-Fi network or a cellularnetwork.

7. Microprocessor:

The microprocessor is like the brain of Jangama. Its functions as acentral processing unit for all external signals and is also the originof digital signal either generated intrinsically or with the help ofalgorithms in the data warehouse. The digital signals are then relayedto RFID interrogator or controller for their actions to follow. Digitalsignals that originate from the microprocessor are continuously fed tothe data warehouse for determining the location or position of a RFIDtagged device much like a mobile RFID interrogator. Similarly, themicroprocessor has the ability to process the data warehouse algorithmsand convert them to RFID signals through controller and interrogator toread or write a RFID tag or change the memory in a RFID tag to changethe clean or dirty labeling on the RFID tags that met the condition. Inanother example, the microprocessor may take the form of a FPGA(Field-Programmable Gate Array), ASIC (Application-Specific IntegratedCircuit), or some other form of integrated analog or digital logicgates.

7. Data Warehouse:

The data warehouse houses all the information required to function.Certain new algorithms will need to be incorporated into existing realtime location services algorithms. A new algorithm to match the sensorvalues, distance, exposure time and choke point integration will beadded. Alternatively, these algorithms may be incorporated into thedevices themselves.

8. The Active RFID with Display:

The RFID with display could be of many varieties as previously describedin the detailed description.

9. Memory:

The memory component is optional and will mainly interact with themicroprocessor and store data for a limited period of time. It iscrucial to have data stored in this backup memory in case there aretransmission issues with the facility Wi-Fi. Data could be stored untila proper Wi-Fi connection is established or until the unit can bemanually synced with the central data warehouse.

Example 5

In another embodiment the invention would be used in conjunction withchoke points. If tagged equipment is allowed to move from one area toanother area after it has been designated as clean, or if cleanequipment moves from one patient to another patient room for example,this may lead to cross contamination. To prevent this, the datawarehouse will include a choke point algorithm.

For example, a piece of clean equipment is taken out of a currentpatient room as it was not being used. Doing so carries the risk ofcross contamination. To prevent this, each patient room will have achoke point, where an active reader will sense the movement of thetagged equipment beyond a certain point and send a signal to the datawarehouse, which confirms the equipment movement out an area and that itshould not have been moved. The data warehouse will send a signal backto the controller at the choke point to change the RFID memory to dirtyas soon as the choke point is breached. It will also sound an alarm tothe end user about the equipment being dirty now. Such algorithmsalready exist in, for example, Avante's RFID “Access-Trakker,” but suchalgorithms need to be modified to accommodate current aspects ofinvention as related to clean and dirty equipment. Integration of suchconcept will improve patient safety and prevent medical errors.

Similarly clean equipment could be in a clean equipment room. If theclean equipment were to travel outside the clean equipment room, thereader at the choke point will send a signal to the data warehouse thatthe clean equipment was removed from the clean equipment room. The datawarehouses algorithm will track this equipment's movements for next 5minutes. If the equipment enters another patient room, then the readersat the patient rooms' choke point will note this entry. Once thisequipment enters the patient room, the data warehouse will change theentry to dirty and should the equipment be taken out again beyond thepatient room's choke point, a similar process as described above willhappen.

Similarly in the clean equipment room, if dirty equipment is beingplaced back in the room, the choke point reader will confirm with thedata warehouse of the equipment's dirty status, record the movement andchange the display on equipment to unclean, and beep the equipmenthandling person that the equipment is unclean.

Various such algorithms will be built to track the equipment at variousstages of its movement alerting the end user both visually as well as bynoise about the current status of the equipment.

Example 6

The following are algorithms that may be used in conjunction with theJangama invention:

Algorithm 1: UV Dose Fulfillment Algorithm

-   -   1. Operator starts UV disinfection device    -   2. Sensor starting sensing UV and calculates the cumulative dose        of UV    -   3. Once UV dose exceeds 100 milliwatts/cm² or millijoules/cm²        then required dose for disinfection is fulfilled.

Algorithm 2: Hydrogen Peroxide Fulfillment Algorithm:

-   -   1. Operator starts hydrogen peroxide disinfection device    -   2. Sensor starting sensing hydrogen peroxide and calculates the        cumulative dose of hydrogen peroxide.    -   3. Once hydrogen peroxide dose exceeds 2000 parts per million        (ppm) then required dose for disinfection is fulfilled. The ppm        range is 2-20,000 as it varies on the size of the room.

Algorithm 3: Dirty to Clean Display Change Algorithm

-   -   1. Once UV dose criteria is fulfilled the RFID controller will        send a back to the RFID tags memory and it will change the        stored value that represents “dirty” to stored value for memory        that represents “clean”.

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1-56. (canceled)
 57. A method, comprising: receiving a first signalindicating a patient has been discharged from a patient room; andresponsive to the first signal, sending a second signal to a wirelesscommunication tag of an item in the patient room to alter the display onthe wireless communication tag.
 58. The method of claim 57, wherein thesecond signal is a signal to alter the display to be indicative of anunclean status for the item.
 59. The method of claim 57, wherein theitem is a medical device, machine or tool.
 60. The method of claim 57,wherein the item is readily removable from the patient room.
 61. Themethod of claim 57, wherein the step of sending the second signalcomprises sending the second signal to wireless communication tags ofmultiple items in the patient room to alter displays on the wirelesscommunication tags.
 62. The method of claim 57 further comprising:subsequent to the step of sending the second signal, exposing thepatient room to a disinfectant for a period sufficient to disinfect theitem; and sending a third signal to alter the display on the wirelesscommunication tag when disinfection is complete.
 63. The method of claim62 wherein the third signal is a signal to alter the display to beindicative of a clean status for the item.
 64. A method, comprising:exposing a designated space to a disinfectant said designated spacehaving one or more wireless communication tags; receiving a signal thata predetermined amount of the disinfectant has been detected; andsubsequent to receiving the signal, sending a different signal of apredetermined strength to update displays only on a set of the one ormore wireless communication tags that are within a set distance from thesource of the disinfectant, wherein the predetermined strength is lessthan a signal strength constituting a maximum communication range of atransmitter sending the different signal, and wherein the differentsignal is to update the displays on the set of the one or more wirelesscommunication tags to be indicative of a clean status for surfaces inthe designated space comprising the respective set of one or morewireless communication tags.
 65. The method of claim 64, wherein thedisinfectant is ultraviolet light.
 66. The method of claim 65, furthercomprising exposing the designated space to a fluidic disinfectant priorto exposing the item to ultraviolet light.
 67. The method of claim 64,wherein the disinfectant is hydrogen peroxide.
 68. The method of claim64, wherein the different signal is to change visual informationexhibited on an electronic visual display of the wireless communicationtag.
 69. The method of claim 64, wherein the different signal is toilluminate a light source on the display of the wireless communicationtag.
 70. The method of claim 64, wherein the set distance is equal to orless than an upper limit of a set disinfection range of the source ofthe disinfectant.
 71. The method of claim 64, wherein the set distanceis less than a dimension of the designated space.
 72. The method ofclaim 64, wherein the designated space is an area suitable for humanoccupancy.